Greetings from the seasonally-affected

I often credit it to being born in the unusually temperate
Western coast of Australia, but I get the winter blues bad. Like real bad. In
all honesty, this past month was the first June I’ve ever spent in Wellington.
In the past I’ve utilised the semester break to flee back to my parent’s place
in the “winterless north” (which is a misnomer if I ever heard one, but at
least Whangarei has the decency to serve you up a little humidity with your
bleak torrential downpour)—or further afield if I still had a little course
related costs left to abuse.

One of the fun things about
post-grad, however, is that you don’t get scheduled uni breaks. So, this winter
I’m sticking it out with my fellow Wellingtonians in an act of [academically
enforced] solidarity. I can already hear my southern friends rolling their eyes
at my delicate sensibilities. But this article isn’t for you. This one’s for
all of my fellow peers who, too, are prone to feeling down when the sunshine
forsakes us, as well as all the freshers not yet climatised to grey, miserable
and borderline-cyclonic.

1. Immerse yourself in a show set
somewhere super tropical. Or failing that, set somewhere that looks fucking
freezing. We may be down to single-digit temperatures but I take a little
comfort knowing that I’m not having to fight giants and wildings in literal ice
and snow.

2. Batch-complete your errands.
Now is the time for optimised efficiency. No ducking out just for milk, you’ve
got to make each campaign into the wilderness worth it. Heading out to load up
on Scrumpies? You may as well stock up on toilet paper, buy more foundation,
and post that letter to your grandma while you’re at it.

3. ‘Werk it’. Though not
applicable to all cases, Harvard makes a really strong case that walking for 35
minutes, five times a week can help greatly in reducing systems of moderate
depression for many people. Personally, I would rather put my face out with a
campfire than add any semblance of cardio into my weekly routine but I’m
totally on board with the concept. Keep in mind that foregoing the Uber home
from town, getting down to Dakota’s shitty excuse for country music, and
vacuuming the house will all get your heart rate up if you’re anywhere near as
aerobically challenged as I am. Lots of dance studios, kickboxing gyms, and
yoga studios also do free introductory sessions too if you’re after something a
little different.

4. Plan a holiday. A study
published in the Netherlands reported that just planning or the act of looking
forward to a holiday can give you more happiness than the trip itself. This
research probably appeals to me particularly as an intensely type-A
personality, but if planning is your vibe too—treat yo’ self to a study break
and spend some time on TripAdvisor or Lonely Planet. If you plan ahead, shop
the pop-up sales, and stay at hostels, friend’s houses or house-sit you might
be able to cobble together a trip away next winter that fits with your student
budget.

5. Bring out the hot water bottle
and familiarise yourself with the concept of hygge. Known by the Danish word
‘hygge’ or the Swedish word ‘lagom’, there’s a reason why Scandinavian
countries get two mentions in this piece. Both terms loosely translate to mean
cosy, and you best believe these nations know a thing or two about
seasonally-induced depression, goddamn freezing temperatures, and well-funded
research. Pour yourself some tea, break out the wheat-bag, put on some woolly
socks, and do a little googling into the plethora of articles that exist to
help you make your house ‘hygge’ on the cheap.

6. Call a flat meeting and start
a ‘heating bill’ jar. In case you weren’t already getting a major
“mum-advice”-type vibe from this piece, I’m here to remind you that while it
might seem like a good idea to skimp on heating the house—you pay for it in the
long run. Medical bills, unpaid sick leave, and increased comfort-eating can
add up quick and really take a toll on your overall wellbeing. And don’t forget
to get sassy with your landlord. I know it’s a sellers’ market out there with
housing right now but ‘student gets chest infection from mould ridden house’
isn’t good for business and its worth reminding your property manager of that
every once in a while.

7. Utilise places where someone
else foots the heating bill. Whether it’s your great-aunt’s house, the local
museum or the campus library, make use of the fact that cities are just full of
free spaces that are kept toasty at someone else’s expense. It’s a great excuse
to get out of the house, and a new environment will help reduce the temptation
to mope that comes with extended periods of time at home.

8. Adopt cat-like behaviours.
Take advantage of sunshine and daylight. Follow that shit around the house.
Schedule your whole day’s activities around it. Seriously, just ask anyone from
a Norse country—exposure to sun (or lack thereof) and mental wellbeing directly
correlate and it is one hundred percent worth stopping what you’re doing or
pleading with your manager for an extra smoko break, for a little time taking
in some rays when they do appear.

9. If you were already thinking
it was time for a counselling session, now is the time to book it. Game of
Throne references aside, winter really isn’t great for those of us prone to
bouts (or more ongoing cases) of anxiety and depression. This time of year
calls for extra self-care, extra accountability and extra self-awareness.
Massey has great student health facilities and if you’ve been noticing a trend
towards more down days than up ones be sure to do yourself a favour and hit
those services up.